THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9,1866.

Grey River Argus, Issue 116, 9 October 1866, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9,1866.

A private letter from Mr Moorhouse informs us that he received tl)e Greymouth petition for. increased repi-esen-tation ou the Ist inst, and presented it to a thin ami veiy much, tired house at two o'clock in the morning. Mr Moorhouse's Bill has passed its second reading, but it is considered doubtful if it would gt»t thrpugh Committee, Mr Moorhouse wp-s however determined to pu&h it through if possible, and was intending to prolong his stay at Wellington fpr a week for that purposeBut there was such a long array of private motions and measures in arrears that we question the probability of the Bill being passed this session. Mr Moorhouse has met with great opposition to his measure -from the Northern members, arising fro in their indisposition to give the South more members in the House. Whatever may be the fate of the Bill, Mr Moorhouse is equally cler serving of the thapks and approval of his constituents. From our latest files of Wellington papers and other sources we are able to glean a few items pf parliamentary in? telligencft that may interest our readers. The schedule to the Stamp Duties Bill gave rise to a goofl deal of discussion, j and a strenuous attempt was made to relieve the Banks of the two per centstamp duty on their circulation} but without avail. Mr Whitaker proposed as an alternative that a stain]). duty should be levied on mortgages to the extent of oue-quarter per cent, but this was negatived without a division. The stamp duties are not to come into operation until January next. The Debtors and Creditors Acts Amendment Bill is nearly through its several stages. "We have no copy of the bill, but Aye learn that amongst other things it jjrovides that the fees chargeable on estates are riot to be charged on any portion realised or wound up prior to the estate going into the hands of the Inspector. The Government appear determined to irritate the people of Otago to the last extremity of forbearance. Mr Hall has carried a Bill to take away from the Otago Corporations the fees and fines levied in the Mayors' Courts, and which were given to them as revenue by an Act of last session. This has been clone in the teeth of loud public demonstrations in Otago, and the most strenuous opposition of some of the Otago mem. bers. To add to the wrath of the Dunedinites the Princes street Reserves Bill has been thrown out by the Legis r lative Comicil. The Lower House had agreed to give to the City a block of valuable town land, a claim to which had been set up by the Maoris, and passed a Bill to refund a\\ the accumulated rents, about £7000, The Nelson llailway Bill has been passed. The Act is intituled "The Nelson, Cobclen and Westport Railway Land Act, 18GG," and it makes it lawful for the Governor in Council "when any person shall have contracted with the Superintendent of the Province of Nelson for the construction of a railway from the port of Nelson to Colxlen, and Westport, pursuant to any Act or Ordinance of the Superintendent and Pro r vincial Council of the said Province pf Nelson which may hereafter be passed authorizing the Superintendent to make any such contract, and shall have given such security as may be required by such Act or Ordinance for the punctual fulfilment of such contract, to reserve from sale such portions of the waste lands of the Crown in the said province as may be agreed upon between the Superintendent and such contractor, and be authorized by such Act or Ordinance of the Provincial Council ; and upori the completion of the said railway being certified to the Waste Lands Board of the said province by the Superintendent, the Commissioner 'of Crown Lands', and tin* Provincial Engineer, by writing

under .their hands, such, person shall be entitled to a grant .of the land so reserve^ ; Provided, that the land to be so reserved from sale wid appropriated shall not exceed 10,000 w.es for each mile of such l'ailway, and shall be land having a drainage to the yaHeys through which such railway shall pass, and that no gpant shalj be issued for any part of the land so reserved and appropriated until the whole of such railway shall have beeii completed : Provided also, that every Act or Ordinance authorizing any such contract shall be reserved for the signification pf the Governor's pleasure thereon."